CEC votes for restriction of number of political parties

Bangalore, Aug 29 (UNI) Chief Election Commissioner of India N Gopalaswami today said that there was a need to restrict the number of political parties, checking of politicisation of bureaucracy and criminalisation politics for holding free and fair elections in the country.

Mr Gopalaswami in his talk on conducting elections-experiences in UP and other recent elections at TERI Bangalore International Centre here today said that the country had 73 political parties in 1952 comparison to 910 as of today. This was despite CEC de-recognising nearly 200 parties in 2002 for being inactive.

There was a manifold increase in the registration of political parties following the income tax exemption in donating funds for the political parties, he observed.

The CEC has so far no dependable system to check the election expenses by the candidates despite they were asked to give their accounts once in three days, he said adding that it had no control over the distribution of money and liquor and they have numerous ways to mislead the Commission.

Mr Gopalaswami said that there was a need to look into the mass transfer of bureaucrats just prior to the announcement of elections.

He said that in case of the UP election, the government transferred 61 top officials just before the Assembly elections in January.

The CEC had proposed as part of electoral reforms to exclude the candidates who get charge sheeted in connection with heinous crimes six months before contesting the elections, he said.

It had also proposed to the Centre to introduce a unique national multi-purpose identity card instead of voters card. Multi-purpose card would create interest in taking part in election procedure, he said.

The card could be used as often as possible and in case of voters card could be used once in five years, he said.

The CEC this time experimented micro level management in conducting elections in UP, he said adding that it was successful with several achievements in reducing the number of re polling from 93 in the last elections in 2002 to just 13 in the recent elections.

UNI